Abstract:

The purpose of this paper is to describe the small enterprises within the service sector that have adopted certified quality systems, focusing on the motives that have encouraged these enterprises to do so and the organizational impacts such adoptions have had. Hypotheses derived from the scientific literature were examined and applied to small certified Spanish hotel enterprises. A cluster analysis enabled us to classify these enterprises, associating the motives and benefits with each other. The results highlight the importance that these enterprises grant to certified quality systems as a strategic tool that can be used in a proactive way to contend with market changes and adverse economic situations, providing them commercial benefits in particular.